Supermarkets stockpile essentials ahead of Super Typhoon Ragasa

Supermarkets across Shenzhen have ramped up supplies of food and daily necessities as residents rush to prepare for Super Typhoon Ragasa, which is forecast to bring heavy rain and strong winds to Guangdong beginning today afternoon.

Residents shop for fresh produce at a Rainbow supermarket in Futian yesterday as the city prepares for Super Typhoon Ragasa. Photos by Chen Wenli

The Shenzhen Meteorological Observatory upgrades the city’s typhoon alert from blue to yellow at 9 p.m. yesterday, warning that Typhoon Ragasa, the 18th storm of the year, is expected to make landfall along Guangdong’s central and western coast. Authorities have advised households to prepare at least three days’ worth of emergency supplies.

Today, residents were seen purchasing vegetables, dry goods, and bottled water at supermarkets across the city. “The typhoon is coming soon, so I need to stock up in case we can’t go out,” one shopper told a sznews.com reporter.

Vegetable shelves at a Shenzhen supermarket show signs of brisk sales ahead of Super Typhoon Ragasa, with staff preparing to replenish supplies.

At a Rainbow supermarket in Futian District, shelves of vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy were running low in the afternoon, but staff said fresh supplies would be replenished from warehouses around 7 p.m. “We received notice about the typhoon early and have prepared accordingly,” a store employee said, adding that all Rainbow outlets will continue normal operations today unless otherwise instructed.

Rainbow said its stocking plan covers two days of supply, with seafood, vegetables, and meat prioritized. Eggs were stocked at triple the usual weekend volume, while packaged foods such as instant noodles, bottled water, and canned porridge were secured in ample quantities. For online orders, the supermarket will deploy two to four additional staff members for every 100 new orders to speed up packing and delivery, with a focus on fresh produce, frozen foods, and bottled water.

Other retailers have also scaled up preparation. Online grocer Pupu Supermarket said it increased inventory of grain, oil, rice, flour, condiments, and drinking water by more than 20%. Stock of daily necessities such as slippers and umbrellas was raised by 15%, while fresh meat, vegetables, and seafood were doubled compared with usual volumes.